ISIS ‘Beatles’ Fighters Being Delivered to U.S. to Face Prices

Another cell member – Mohammed Emwazi, better known as Jihadi John – was killed in an air strike in Syria in 2015. It was believed that Mr. Emwazi killed Mr. Foley and Mr. Sotloff, both Americans, and Peter Kassig, a helper.

A fourth man, Aine Davis, is imprisoned in Turkey for terrorism. The extradition of Mr. Davis to the United States appears unlikely as US-Turkish relations deteriorate.

The families of Mr. Foley and Mr. Sotloff, and those of Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig, two Americans who were also killed in Syria, welcomed the news that the two men were being brought to the US for law enforcement.

“James, Peter, Kayla and Steven were kidnapped, tortured, beaten, starved and murdered by members of the Islamic State in Syria,” the families said in a statement. “Now our families can take responsibility for these crimes against our children in a US court.”

The families added that they were especially grateful to Mr. Barr for his decision to waive the death penalty against the two men, and thanked Ali Soufan, a former FBI agent, who quietly helped them.

Any trial would most likely involve former hostages, particularly from Italy, France, Spain and Denmark, who may testify and relate the horrors they experienced while imprisoned by the Islamic State in Syria.

The two men helped monitor detention facilities where hostages were held, coordinated ransom negotiations for their release, and perpetrated an ongoing pattern of physical and psychological violence against their prisoners. For example, on April 25, 2014, the men said the men forced prisoners from Europe to witness the murder of a Syrian man by Mr. Emwazi in a hostage-negotiation process.

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